GWU seeking new COLA, less tax on fuel
The GWU today called for a revision of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to adequately reflect the living conditions of the workers.
The COLA needed to be based on the national average wage as calculated by the NSO, Union General Secretary Tony Zarb said in a press conference about the union's Budget proposals.
Furthermore, he said, cost of living wage increases should be given every six months and not backdated by a year, as was happening now.
The Times reported a few weeks ago that the COLA wage adjustment this year is expected to be €4.66.
Asked if this was too high from the employers' point of view, Mr Zarb said costs went up for everyone, including the workers, and employers had not complained when the increase was just €1.66.
In other points, Mr Zarb said the union was proposing:
A reduction of tax on fuel;
A revision of the minimum wage;
Maternity leave for self-employed women;
Incentives for job creation in Gozo,
Government action to stop exploitation of workers and to directly employ workers working in its hospitals rather than using their services through private companies as very low salaries;
A crackdown on the exploitation of foreign workers;
Diversification of the economy.
Mr Zarb said the government is due to hold a meeting about the Budget with the MCSD on Friday.
He said the government's pre-budget document had ignored the impact of the Libyan crisis on Malta, the situation in Air Malta and the eurozone problems.
It needed to be ensured, he said, that the banks provided local industry with easier access to finance.
The government, he said, needed to come up with a manpower plan which assessed the current situation, the skills needed in the future and the impact of situations such as immigration and Maltese workers moving abroad.
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j brincat
Oct 25th 2011, 18:39
@Carmel camilleri
"Surely Tony would not suggest all this if there is a labour Govt. Judging by his past he would only by studying the situation"
Have you forgotten the request made by UHM, obviously under a Labour government!
(jb).
j brincat
Oct 25th 2011, 18:37
@Joseph E Briffa
What is baffling is the leader of the PN promising manna on earth to win the election and delivering very little. To add salt to injury he imposed the highest ever utility bills, cost of fuel increasing nearly every month and the cost of the gas cylinders more than trebled, amongst others!
GonziPN did not even honour a simple promise ie to do away with the antiquated TV licence tariff!
He should have led by example and refrained from giving himself that astronomical weekly increase.
(jb)
Joseph E Briffa
Oct 25th 2011, 17:31
Some of these proposals are really baffling. Less tax on fuel: Wouldn't this bring in its wake the introduction of or the increase in other taxes? Unless one makes up for the shortfall in revenue to the Exchequer it wouldn't be possible to reduce the budget deficit. And wouldn't such a proposal encourage car owners to clock more mileage resulting in further traffic congestion and increase in air pollution from emissions? Revision of the minimum wage: presumably upwards, wouldn't such a measure bring about an increase in the production costs of items meant for exports, thereby making them less competitive and therefore reduce exports, bringing in its wake job losses? And wouldn't a sharp increase in wages raise the prices of items earmarked for the local market which will raise inflation and in turn cancel out the increase in wages? As for maternity leave for the self-employed, can't the self-employed being their own boss take as much leave as they please? Incentives for job creation in Gozo; this point was taken up by Labour leader last Sunday. Do the Gozitans need to be incentivised to work? If they need this, they must be either work-shy or they can afford not to work. The Gozitans are crafty people and renowned for their business acumen. i don't think they need anybody's advice about how they lead their lives. As for the proposed six-monthly adjustments in wages, wouldn't this result in paltry increases twice a year, which would anger rather than satisfy wage earners? Diversification of the economy is not a bad idea but couldn't the GWU be more specific about the fields they have in mind? The other proposals seem to encompass anything under the sun; they might have been included for good measure merely to lengthen the list of suggestions. They seem to be the product of someone thinking aloud.
Ludgard Scicluna
Oct 25th 2011, 16:20
I don't think that 4;66 euro is enough. The most proper and immediate increase must be on the minimum
wage. Everyone knows that the minimum wage is very low and it is not adequate or jistifiable. And even on
low penions. There are many people who benefit from low pensions. These pensions must be udjustable
according to the present situation. Minimum wage must be at least 200 euro weekly.
Carmel camilleri
Oct 25th 2011, 15:51
Surely Tony would not suggest all this if there is a labour Govt. Judging by his past he would only by studying the situation.
W Cassar
Oct 25th 2011, 14:58
There needs to be a reduction in taxes for business,if you want to save money Gonzi, stop these silly projects like bieb l-belt, which only benefit the few. Tax on fuel is another!
Michael Gatt
Oct 25th 2011, 16:18
Fully agree
Lawrence Fenech
Oct 25th 2011, 14:17
I am sure these points are not in Gonzi's line of tought, unless it's Euro 500 per week.
J.C. Borg
Oct 25th 2011, 14:01
Mr Zarb is trying to 'make hay' before next election, when he and his union may go into hibernation.
Michael Gatt
Oct 25th 2011, 16:22
That may is highly impotant. All this is nothing but wishful thinking
j brincat
Oct 25th 2011, 13:56
No this is not enough Mr Zarb.
We want at least €50 a month which is a mere 10% of what Dr Gonzi gave himself, the ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
What's good for the goose is supposingly to be equally good for the gander!
(jb)
(jb)
j brincat
Oct 25th 2011, 14:44
Meant €50 a week - the increase was so astronomical that I can't get it out of my system that it was so big!
(jb)
Michael Gatt
Oct 25th 2011, 16:20
Ghandek ragun ta veru
ADRIAN GRECH
Oct 25th 2011, 13:51
He said the government's pre-budget document had ignored the impact of the Libyan crisis on Malta, the situation in Air Malta and the eurozone problems
Should they consider these we will get ne raise this year!!!!!
Jean-Michel Azzopardi
Oct 25th 2011, 13:47
He's thinking of good ideas. What are you two doing?
Joanne Galea
Oct 25th 2011, 13:40
Try, telling that to Arriva employees amongst others in the same boat, netting just Eur 349 every two weeks which doesn't even total up to Eur 700 a month .... how can a family survive on that?
Mario Micallef
Oct 25th 2011, 13:18
Mr Farrugia, what you might have forgotten is that workers always have to pay till the last cent in taxes whilst employers always have space where to apparently have refunds and lets say it evasion. This is all for the sake of the divine right of being an employer! The employers are the people that least need to complain!
Leonard Brincat
Oct 25th 2011, 13:04
Dear Mr Farrugia, I think that your memory is very short. Do you remember Gejtu Vella (UHM ) asking for 9 LIRI. Maybe you have a good salary but there are others apart me and you. Maybe you should try to make ends meet with 900 euro a month. Believe me there are lot of people who do not have more than 1,000 euro a month.
Mr A Grech
Oct 25th 2011, 13:45
well said
Carmel Farrugia
Oct 25th 2011, 12:53
Nothing new......Mr Zarb seems to think that money grows on trees and companies can be squeezed dry till they close down.
Mario Camilleri
Oct 25th 2011, 13:11
No Carmel, for us, money don't grow on trees, but for the PM, his Ministers and the 'ħbieb tal-ħbieb' there are trees that produce money.
Tony Zarb knows that the people are being squeezed dry till and driven to poverty.
B Cassar
Oct 25th 2011, 13:12
I think actually money grow on trees because when you see the government spending on bieb il-belt, msida and white rocks projects when they can actually wait till the economy is in a better state that's what you start thinking. Besides, companies and sole traders should also think a bit of those numerous cases where they do endless profits since some of them they never give a receipt.
Last Sunday morning I went to the market in a particular locality. I spent almost 200 euros between different hawkers. Not even a single hawker gave me a vat receipt. At one particular hawker I spent 60.00 euros and I got the receipt. When I arrived home I realised that instead of 60 euros he punched only 6.00 so the purchase for the vat department is of 6 while the remaining 54 is for him and go unnoticed. How is that for companies profits Mr. Farrugia???? The COLA of the workers is seen too much but their unnoticed hidden profits are never too much. Remember that employees are taxed on cola increases too so at the end having an increase does not necesserily means more in our hands.
Joseph M. Saliba
Oct 25th 2011, 13:15
Dear Mr Farrugia are we living on the same planet ???? Gonzi can afford to give more that a mere 4.66 euro for COLA. The economy is going great and we are at the top amongst the 27 Euro nations. So what is the problem?? Not financially definitely as this country will soon solve its national debt and deficit problems.
Long Live Gonzi.
Mario Camilleri
Oct 25th 2011, 13:25
No Carmel, for us, money don't grow on trees, but for the PM, his Ministers and the 'ħbieb tal-ħbieb', (2 salaries for the same job, €500 instead of €600/weekly, €93,000 for MEPA Chairman, €60,000 + and tax free for M. C. Bonello Ex Central bank Governor, Arriva, cosy jobs for the blue eyed boys with many €€€s etc, etc, etc.) there are trees that produce money, and a lot.
Tony Zarb is living amongst us and therefore knows that the people are being squeezed dry and driven to their poverty while others are in their glory.
So, if you're a businessman you should know better that unless people have money in their pockets, there is no way any business or company will survive.
john muscat
Oct 25th 2011, 13:33
Dear Mr. Farrugia,To the ministers money grows on trees, and on the contractors entrusted to projects thrown by the same ministers, therefore it should be the same for workers and pensioners. Should'nt it be so?
Michael Grech
Oct 25th 2011, 13:46
Companies do not squeeze money from trees....some of them squeeze it out of their employes!
Carmel Farrugia
Oct 25th 2011, 16:22
What most of you are saying particularly about the increases in Ministers salaries, the lack of VAT receipts being given out etc is right and I cannot but agree. But at the end it is the bottom line that counts. At the end of the year the countries books have to balance. If the money is not there it is not there. Look at what happened to the Greeks and what is happening to the Italians. They do not receive increases in salaries but decreases.